"The Chaos Bringer and the source of all evil...The devils."

Mike felt a shiver run down his spine as he heard Hawk's menacing words. He hadn't heard that term before, but it didn't seem like Hawk had made it up. He could see the genuine heaviness in his face.

He looked at Captain Marco for clarification but found him strangely silent, only looking at the unconscious man. He didn't wear the same heavy expression as Hawk, but he didn't deny his words either.

"A devil? You mean he's a monster disguised as a man?"

"No." Hawk shook his head and looked at him seriously. "He is human."

"Huh, if he's a human, then why are you calling him a devil? You're not making any sense," Mike asked, confused. "I've never heard of such a thing. What exactly is a devil?"

"Well, that's because you're an uneducated country bumpkin who knows nothing about the world," Hawk said, looking at him condescendingly. "But since you're just a rookie, it's my job as a senior to educate you. So be grateful."

"Just explain it already, you bastard."

"Ayah, not even a word of thanks, Senior, for taking your precious time to educate me, the brain-dead brute." Seeing a vein creep across Mike's forehead, Hawk's smile widened.

Before he could erupt, Hawk cut him off and started to explain.

"As you know, the only way for us humans to become stronger is to form a core in our bodies that acts as a vessel to carry the mana. That's the only way we can manipulate mana and use different kinds of skills and magic for those with elemental affinity."

"Yeah, that's basically common knowledge."

"Right." Hawk nodded and continued. "As for the monsters, they are creatures born from the formation of the Forbidden Zone. Most of them were normal animals before but were forced to evolve after the Forbidden Zone erupted. Some of them evolved into new species, while others mixed with each other to create a different kind of monster. And the way they get stronger and reach a higher rank is by consuming each other or an energy source, and that's the core in our body. That's why they would attack us the moment we met; their primal instinct urges them to devour us to reach a higher level.".

"Yes, like I said, I already know that. Who do you think I am?" Mike said, irritated at how Hawk treated him as if he were ignorant of such basic knowledge. The Temple had explained these things to him when he awakened and joined the Hunters. "You still haven't told me anything I don't already know."

"Really?" Hawk feigned surprise. "I guess you're not a complete idiot after all."

Mike clenched his fists and took a deep breath, trying his best to control his anger and resist the urge to lunge at the bastard. He knew Hawk was deliberately provoking him, as he had been doing since they left town, but he had yet to figure out why.

Seeing him remained silent, Hawk clicked his tongue in disappointment and continued. "Well, these two methods are basically how both humans and monsters get stronger. But..." He paused and looked at the unconscious man. "There's another method, and it's only possible for..."

"Devils."

"Yes."

"What exactly are they, and why are they called devils if they were normal people?" Mike asked.

"The devils are people with a special power that is believed to come from the devil's blood in them. They are the only ones who have such special abilities."

"Special powers? Like those magicians?"

"No, even more special and rare."

"Rarer than the magicians?" Mike was surprised to hear this information. Unlike them, mages were a special kind of awakener who had a unique connection and affinity to an element that allowed them to cast magic. Once a hunter proved to have an elemental affinity, the temple would try its best to recruit them. That was how rare and precious mages were. Yet here he was, hearing that there were other kinds of people who were even more special.

"Why?" Mike asked. "What kind of special power do they have that makes them special and yet dangerous to the world?"

From Hawk's introduction of this special group, Mike understood that they were not good and were considered criminals.

Hawk was silent for a while before he said, "The reason they are considered dangerous to the world is because of their special ability that allows them to become stronger by killing anything alive.

"W-What," Mike said, startled. "That's insane."

That can't be possible. Mike thought, not able to accept what he just heard. The only way for humans to get stronger was to increase their core rank or to use the essence stones extracted from monsters to make magic potions that would strengthen the body when consumed.

"That's the truth. That's why they're considered a source of chaos and dangerous to the world,"

"If such people exist, they must be crazy strong. How come I have never heard of them? Are there any in the temple?"

"No," Hawk shook his head. "They're considered criminals. A crazy bunch who have been corrupted by their powers and would kill anything alive to get stronger."

Mike felt a shiver run down his spine. If these people could truly become stronger by killing anything alive, he could imagine why they were considered criminals and the source of chaos. They must have killed a lot of people and caused a lot of trouble to earn such a reputation.

"What makes you so sure that the temple doesn't house some of these devils? If the temple wanted to bring some in and hide them, they could, right?"

Despite the rumors about how dangerous these people were, at the end of the day, they were just humans. Even he could understand the unlimited potential they had. Still, Hawk said that the temple didn't have any members of these devils, and he seemed quite confident in his words. So Mike was confused as to what made him so sure.

"The reason why there aren't any of these devils as members in the temple is because if anyone was found to be hiding one of them, whoever it was would be treated as an accomplice and killed on the spot. Not even the temple could survive if it did such a thing."

"This is insane."

The Temple of Iron and Fire was one of the four highest powers on the continent, but even they couldn't let the devils join them. What kind of power could make the Temple bow its head and follow orders like that? Mike didn't know. Just as he was about to ask, Marco interrupted him.

"Have you heard enough?" Marco asked.

"Huh, oh yeah," Mike said, confused and nodding.

"I wasn't talking to you," Marco clarified before shifting his attention. "I meant him."

Mike followed his line of sight and saw that he was looking at the unconscious bastard.

"How long are you going to pretend to be unconscious?" Marco said.

Huh, what is he... Mike's thoughts were interrupted as the bastard coughed up a mouthful of blood before struggling to raise his head to look at Captain Marco.

***

"Since when?" Eric asked, his voice low and hoarse as blood bubbled to his mouth, but he swallowed it back.

"Since the beginning," Marco said. "Did you think you could fool me and I would be careless enough to ignore you just because you looked unconscious? If you thought that, then you're mistaken in your evaluation of me."

"How did you know I was awake?"

"Like I said, I was just keeping an eye on you. When Mike kicked you in the head, I saw your throat move and your mouth close. You were probably trying to keep from spitting blood. An unconscious man wouldn't be able to stop himself from coughing up blood."

"It's weird to watch a sleeping man closely. It makes me uncomfortable," he said, showing his blood-stained teeth.

"I don't care about your comfort." A vein crept across Marco's forehead, his eyes twitching. "I will..."

Before Marco could say anything, a burst of laughter interrupted him. Hawk held his stomach in laughter and pointed at Marco. "See, you creeped him out. I told you to get rid of your weird habits or someone will call you out one day."

"Hawk, if you keep laughing like that, something might happen to you. Something that will make you very uncomfortable," Marco said with a smile that didn't reach his eyes.

Hawk froze when he heard Marco's words, coughed, and then said, "Please continue and don't mind me. I'll just check the place out," before he quickly moved away as if he were fleeing from something dangerous.

Marco sighed and turned to Eric. "Anyway, I asked you if you heard everything Hawk and Mike talked about."

"I heard enough,"

"Good, so I'm going to ask you..." Marco looked serious. "Are you really one of those devils?"

"Huh, of course not. This is the first time I have heard about these people. And according to Hawk's words, these devils, or whatever they were called, were supposed to be crazy strong if they could get stronger by killing." Eric continued. "Look at me; do I look strong to you?"

"Then how do you explain your strength without using mana?"

"Of course, it's because I used Essence Stones to strengthen my body."

He knew that he would be screwed if they really suspected him of being one of the devils.

He finally understood why Thomas was afraid of being discovered. The system users like them were treated as evil, to be eliminated and hunted down.

Fortunately, he hadn't shown any abilities that would expose him. Perhaps he should be thankful that the orb drained his magic power, preventing him to access the inventory.

"You want to know what I think?" Marco continued after a short pause. "I think the reason you entered the temple's forbidden zone was because you wanted to hunt the monsters here and use the devil's ability to get stronger."

"You can believe whatever you want. I already told you that I'm not a devil but a normal human. But the more I try to prove myself and argue, the less you'll believe me. That's all I'll say."

Eric knew that the more he argued, the more they'd feel that he was lying. They already didn't trust his words because he lied to them when he tried to pretend to be one of their colleagues. So they would always distrust him.

"So, why are you here?"

"I don't know," Eric said, shaking his head. "The last thing I remember is that I was asleep at home when I suddenly woke up in this damn forest and was chased by monsters until I was forced to flee into this cave trap."

Marco remained silent and listened to his story. And after a while, he said, "I don't believe you.

"Hehe, like I said, you can think whatever you want. It was just an accident that I came here. Maybe someone brought me here."

Marco folded his arms in front of him.

"I can't believe a word you say because you already tried to lie to us once. So it could be that this is just another lie."

"Yeah, sure, whatever you think," Eric didn't defend himself anymore.

"So what are we going to do with him? We're going to kill him, right?" Mike asked, a subtle smile creeping across his face.

"No, whether he's lying or telling the truth, we can't be sure. We'll take him back to headquarters and let them find out the truth."

"But Captain, that could be dangerous. What if he really is one of those devils? I say we kill him now."

"I know what you're thinking, Mike," Marco said, looking at him calmly. "You want revenge, right? But this is not the time for your petty revenge. He beat you fair and square, so live with it."

“No—”

"This may be your test, but remember, this is my mission. I'm the one who calls the shots here," Marco said sternly.

Mike looked startled, and before he could answer, he heard a voice coming from behind him.

"I suggest you stop talking and listen to what he said. Or else," Hawk said.

Hawk didn't continue his words, but Mike seemed to understand the hidden threat behind them. He shifted his attention to Marco and swallowed before nodding and bowing his head, but not before looking at Eric with murderous intent.

"Did you find anything noteworthy?" Marco asked as Hawk came up beside him.

"No," Hawk shook his head. "There are only unknown withered herbs here. Nothing valuable."

"Hey, did you take anything from this place?"

"Does it look like I'm carrying anything?"

Eric hoped they didn't know about the existence of the inventory as one of the devils abilities. Fortunately, they didn't seem to doubt his words after a quick body search.

"He's clean," Hawk confirmed.

“Not with the way he looked, he ain't,” Mike said.

"Alright," Marco clapped his hands. "Since there's nothing here, we'll go to headquarters and report back."

"How are you going to bring him with us? You remember the trap outside, right?" Hawk asked.

"Don't worry, I'll take care of it," Marco said before asking. "Do either of you have a chain?"

Mike shook his head and went to get his hammer.

"I have a rope with me," Hawk said, pulling out a rope tied to his back. "But with the strength this guy showed, I don't think it would hold him if he tried to break it."

"It's fine. I just need it until we get past the trap."

"Suit yourself." Hawk shrugged and handed him the rope.

Marco took the rope and approached Eric, who was still lying down, and asked, "Can you move?"

"Hehe, I can't move a muscle," Eric said, blood trickling down his lips. "You really screwed me up."

Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

He wasn't lying. He was indeed paralyzed, and couldn't move a muscle. He suspected it was another side effect of the orb after it had drained his vitality so much.

Another price to pay.

Each time the orb used his life force to heal him, his life span would be cut short. And he didn't know if there was anything he could do to restore it.

Thomas probably died from the same cause. He was poisoned and severely injured. The orb healed him again and again, but his magical power and life force couldn't keep up, and he turned into a skeleton after the orb completely drained him.

Eric shuddered at the fate that might await him if he was too badly injured and his magic power was too exhausted.

But it was useless to think about it too much. These things could only be considered after he got out of his current situation. At present, he was a prisoner, and his fate was still unknown. Whether he would live or die after reaching the headquarters was hard to say.

Marco finished tying him up, making sure the rope was tight around his hands and body. Eric didn't have the strength to struggle and just let himself be tied.

Once he was secured, Marco lifted him to his feet, but when he let go, Eric quickly staggered and almost fell before Marco caught him.

"You weren't kidding when you said you couldn't move, were you?"

"Yeah," Eric nodded, then smiled weakly. "How about you leave me here and get out of here? I'll only slow you down, or worse, you might get killed by the arrows."

"You wish," Marco replied before he picked up Eric and put him on his shoulder.

"Wow, what do you think you're doing? You can't possibly want to cross the trap carrying me like this."

"You got a better solution?"

"Like I said, you can just leave-"

"I guess not, then." Marco cut him off and walked to the exit of the hall, carrying him like a child, followed by Hawk and Mike.

They entered the small room but didn't stop until they reached the red line that marked the beginning of the trap.

"Stop it. You're going to get us both killed, you crazy bastard." Eric tried to struggle but to no avail. He was afraid that Marco would use him as a shield against the arrows.

Ignoring Eric's protests, Marco turned to his subordinates. "I'll go first, and you follow me slowly. Hawk, take care of Mike, and don't let him die."

"Hey, Roger," Hawk replied.

"I don't need that bastard's help," Mike muttered.

"Then I'll see you on the other side," Marco said before taking a step forward.

"Hey, wait, you crazy bastard."

Eric didn't get the chance to finish his curse because, as soon as Marco crossed the red line, he heard several familiar whistles coming their way.

Fuck!!

He realized that it was already too late to escape and refrained from struggling for fear of distracting Marco and endangering them both.

Hope he's as skilled at dodging as he is at fighting.

After witnessing Marco's prowess in battle, Eric did not doubt that Marco could easily cross this trap-filled corridor. However, he was currently carrying him, which would slow him down.

Just as the arrows came into sight, a blue light erupted from Marco and materialized into a shield that surrounded them both. Five arrows hit the shield but were deflected, unable to penetrate its protective barrier.

Eric looked startled at the shield surrounding them, but before he could fully process the situation, Marco kicked off the ground and dashed through the corridor at the speed of a speeding car.

Arrows shot from every direction, but Marco seemed unfazed as the shield deflected them all, allowing him to continue his sprint.

Watching Marco's incredible speed, Eric's emotions were conflicted. He realized that Marco had toyed with him during their fight, using only a fraction of his strength yet easily defeating him.

I was delusional, thinking I had a chance.

As his level increased and his strength grew, so did his confidence. He became too arrogant after gaining abilities that would be considered superhuman on Earth.

I have to wake up; this is not Earth anymore! He thought. There are many strong monsters and humans in this world, and I'm still at the bottom.

After a while, the shield started to fade, but it didn't matter as they had already reached a safe zone and the arrows stopped raining down on them. They didn't stop for long, and after about two minutes, they took off again and repeated the same process, stopping in the safe zone and waiting for the mana shield's cooldown to wear off before resuming their sprint.

After about ten minutes, they finally crossed the dark corridor, which surprised Eric. The passage that took him over an hour to cross, Marco crossed in ten minutes while carrying a load. If he hadn't been carrying him, he could have crossed it in even less time.

After about half an hour, the others finally caught up. Hawk seemed unscathed, but Mike had two arrows embedded in his shoulder.

"What happened?" Marco asked.

"It's nothing," Mike said, yanking the two arrows out of his shoulder before pulling a tin out of the sack tied to his side. He opened the lid and applied the healing ointment to his wounds.

Seeing that Mike refused to say anything, Marco shifted his attention to Hawk.

"Didn't I tell you to protect him?"

"Hey, don't look at me like that." Hawk threw up his hands in defeat before pointing at Mike. "It was all that idiot's fault. He refused to stay behind me and tried to"

"It was just a careless mistake, Captain," Mike said. "It won't happen again."

"I certainly hope not," Marco replied after a moment of silence. "You should understand why you failed the last two tests, right? Disobeying the orders of the test supervisors isn't a good sign if you want to join the Assault Division."

"I understand. It won't happen again,"

Seeing Mike's downcast demeanor, Marco sighed and shook his head before turning his attention to Eric and lifting him.

Eric had regained some strength and could walk if necessary, but he remained silent, allowing Marco to carry him. He needed to conserve his energy and await an opportunity to escape.

"Let's move," Marco said, taking the lead up the rocky hill. The others followed in silence, passing the corpses of the Viperwolves Eric had killed until they reached the entrance of the ruins.

He blinked as he emerged from the dark ruin, the sudden onslaught of sunlight piercing his eyes. It felt like it had been ages since he had seen daylight.

"Hawk, watch him for a moment," Marco said as he lowered him to the ground. Then he and Mike made their way to a collapsed, broken pillar, where they retrieved two backpacks before returning to where Hawk was keeping a watchful eye on Eric.

Marco pulled a steel chain from his backpack and quickly bound Eric's arms and legs, making sure he couldn't escape or pose a threat.

After a short rest, Marco declared. "Alright, let's go."

The group went down a hill, taking a different path from the one Eric had come from. Along the way, they occasionally encountered monsters, and Mike was the one who took it upon himself to kill them to vent his anger. The monsters weren't strong and didn't pose a threat to Mike since they were low-level, so the others didn't interfere and let him kill all the monsters they came across.

***

At sunset, they decide to camp as according to them it wasn't safe to travel at night.

They reached an open clearing that was perfect for setting up camp for the night after the sunset. The spot offered a clear view of the surrounding area, preventing the monsters from suddenly sneaking up on them.

"I'm going to scout the area," Hawk said, and after getting Marco's permission, he slung his bow over his back before walking away until the trees hid his figure.

After Hawk left, Marco approached Eric and offered him a leather pouch filled with water. "Here, drink this."

Eric just looked at him silently.

"If you don't want it, I'll take it back," Marco warned, and he started to pull the bag back. Eric quickly grabbed the bottle before it was out of reach.

He took it from him, turned the cap, and drank the water inside. His throat moved up and down as he swallowed the water violently, causing him to break into a coughing fit.

"Easy. The water won't go anywhere."

Eric handed the bottle back after he finished, "Thank you."

"Don't mention it," Marco replied before pausing. "Oh, by the way, I don't think you told me your name."

"Eric Walker."

"Is that your real name or a made-up one?"

"There is no reason for me to hide my name at this point. Whether you believe me or not is up to you," he said nonchalantly.

"I guess you're right,"

"So, what do you want from me?" Eric asked, cutting to the chase.

"Huh, what do you mean?" Marco feigned innocence.

But Eric saw through the facade. "Oh, please, give me water? Ask me my name. You just wanted to be friendly and get close to me to get some information, right?" He said without a shred of doubt.

He was all too familiar with this kind of approach, having seen people use similar methods to extract information. As soon as he saw Marco's strange behavior, he understood his intentions.

His accusation seemed to catch Marco off guard, his expression faltering for a moment before he composed himself. "Was I that obvious?" he asked.

"What do you think?" Eric replied, keeping his expression neutral. "What do you want to know?"

After a moment of silence, Marco finally asked, "Are you really not one of those devils?"

Eric sighed, feeling frustrated. " This question again," he muttered under his breath. "I've already told you that I'm not. Today is the first time I've heard of such people," he replied nonchalantly, although his heart was pounding loudly inside. He made a conscious effort to maintain a calm demeanor, not wanting to reveal anything that might expose him.

Marco looked at him deeply. "I can't tell if you're telling the truth or not, but it doesn't matter. Everything will be revealed when we reach the headquarters," he said. "But if they find out that you're really one of those devils, tsk tsk."

Eric felt a pang of anxiety as Marco's words sank in. He didn't know if they had a way to tell if he was one of the devils and what exactly they would do to him if they found out, but Marco's words were not a good sign. He had to do something before they reached the headquarters, or he would be doomed.

They both fell into silence and after a while, Hawk returned with some black blood stains on his clothes, causing Marco to ask, "Did you find anything noteworthy?

"Just a few low-level monsters. I've already taken care of them."

"I see." Marco nodded thoughtfully. "There could be a dungeon nearby that we are not aware of, so more monsters could attack us at night."

"Yes, that's my exact thought."

"You two can rest. I'll take the first watch. We'll leave first thing in the morning." Marco said.

"Fine by me," Hawk replied before noticing Mike's unusual silence. "What's the matter, Mike? You're strangely quiet."

"It's nothing. I'm just a little tired, so I'm going to sleep. You can wake me up when it's my turn to watch," Mike said before moving to find a comfortable place to rest.

After Hawk and Mike were asleep, Marco approached Eric and asked, "Well then, shall we have a chat to pass the time?"

"No, thank you. I'm pretty tired and need some rest," Eric replied, closing his eyes.

Marco sighed and muttered, "And here I thought I would not be bored. I guess it was my luck to catch an unsocial prisoner," before he sat down on a rock next to him.

Although he was really exhausted, Eric only pretended to be asleep. How could he fall asleep and miss the chance to escape from these bastards? He had been waiting for the cover of night to slip away unnoticed. That's why he had feigned exhaustion on the way, saving his energy for his eventual escape.

But now, with Marco keeping a close eye on him, he couldn't make a move without being caught. Marco's speed far exceeded his, making any attempt at escape futile for the time being. He had to wait until Marco's watch ended and someone else replaced him. Only then would he have a chance to slip away unnoticed. Until then, he would continue to play the role of the tired and unsuspecting companion, waiting for the right moment to make his escape.

Unfortunately for him, Marco didn't sleep as expected. He stayed awake, watching him even after his shift ended, and chatting with Hawk and Mike as their shifts began.

"Damn," Eric couldn't help but curse as his plan fell apart before it even began. The idea of taking the opportunity to escape crossed his mind, but he quickly dismissed it. After everything that had happened today, he knew it was impossible to outrun Marco, and risking injury was not worth it, especially considering the life-draining effects of the orb.

For now, he could only hope that the people at headquarters would be reasonable and listen to his side of the story before passing judgment.

As dawn approached, the already awake group quickly ate some of the food they had stashed and made their way to headquarters.